A/N: Thank you for reading and favoring and especially for commenting on this fic. I realize my updating pace is not what it used to be, but I'm not watching the show anymore (from obvious reasons) and it's hard to keep the motivation going. I have a lot of ideas for new fics, but sometimes it feels like writing in a vacuum of a sort. I appreciate the people who still read and support my specific line of writing (it's obviously not the most popular one).
Please tell me what you think, your reviews make me very happy and encouraged.
"So what are you planning for Saturday?" Chin asks him when they all sit in the break room eating lunch.
"Saturday?" he looks questioningly at his teammate, "I have some reports to complete, and I'll probably go to check out that new shooting range they opened in the south shore." He can see from the corner of his eye how Kono's senses are in high alert all of a sudden "I thought you might like to come with me" he says to her as offhandedly as he can, trying to ignore the weird feeling he has in his stomach when he sees how she's thinking about it for a few long seconds "they have that unique running course you can pre-order" he tries to sound casual when he desperately tries to convince her, not missing the way Chin and Danny look at him curiously "it's a course they curved in the mountain, where they placed targets in various locations that you can use to practice target shooting while on the move. We can take the shotguns and see if… I mean, we need to pre-order it, but I guess I can convince them to let us try it even if they have some…" all three of them look at him silently, following his every word, and he is quite sure he's missing something crucial here, so he stops "what?" he looks at all three of them tensely.
"It's Lilly's birthday Saturday" Chin explains patiently.
"Who?" they all look at him in scrutiny "oh…" he says quickly "I see… I probably knew that…" he frowns "we can still go" he looks hopefully at Kono "early Saturday morning, it's supposed to be a great shooting range, all new and modern, and we…" to her credit there's a certain amount of regret when she shakes her head in the negative.
"I don't think Lilly will appreciate me going to a shooting range with her boyfriend, on her birthday" she tells him.
"Look, Kono…" he says quickly when she starts to make her way out of the break room, trying desperately to ignore Danny rolling his eyes and Chin's obvious displeasure "there's something I need to…"
"Don't worry, babe" Danny claps him on his shoulder, as he too, makes his way to the main room after Kono "we'll help you do the right thing. Just do what we say, and Lilly will be thrilled."
He stands in the break room, looking disappointedly at her retreating back, rubbing his chin in annoyance.
Chin who follows his two teammates only sends him a hard, inexplicable look, before he leaves, too.
"The Azure will be prefect" Danny tells him when he joins the rest of his team near the smart table. It doesn't look like he's looking for a response, as he's too busy dialing a number on his cell phone.
"Perfect? Perfect for what?" he has no idea what the guy is talking about.
"For a romantic dinner with Lilly, obviously" he shakes his head at his clueless team leader "I'm making a reservation for you right now."
"Look, Danny, this is really unnecessary…" he calls frantically to his partner, but Danny is already turning the other way as someone on the other side of the line takes his call "I didn't plan to take her anywhere" he looks at Kono pleadingly "it's not even a real…"
"What are you buying for her?" Chin asks from behind him.
"Buying? I'm not…" he mumbles hurriedly "why would I buy any…"
"You have to buy her a birthday present" Danny, who is off the phone in the most inconvenient time possible, notifies him decisively.
"I don't think…" he looks at all three of them in despair "I really think it's way over the top, here…" he raises his head, looking at the ceiling, trying to stifle the curse that is there on the tip of his tongue "and besides" he shakes his head "I would never know what to buy her in the first place."
"Kono will help you" Chin and Danny say it in unison.
"She will?"
"I will?" she looks at them horrified.
"Of course" Chin shrugs "you're Lilly's cousin, you know her the best, and besides you're a woman."
She looks hesitatingly towards Steve, who has his eyes still searching for something on the ceiling, and can see that familiar twitch he has in his jaw whenever he's upset "I'm not sure if I can…" she mumbles quietly.
"You'll go today, after work." Danny claps his hands in pure satisfaction "it's all settled." Steve only looks at him with barely contained anger "no need to thank us, Steven" he smiles smugly towards his partner "we'll make a half decent guy out of you at the end, you'll see. After all, this is what friends are for."
It looks like the both of them don't want to be there. He drives them to the shopping mall in silence, and when she looks at him sideways, she sees that old familiar twitch in his jaw again. What the fuck is his problem anyway, she curses under her breath, Lilly is his fucking girlfriend, she definitely deserves this kind of attention from him. Actually, how the hell she was caught up in this stupid situation, is the real question here. She shakes her head miserably at the pathetic position she finds herself in, going shopping for her cousin with her boyfriend. She looks at him again, cautiously. Steve is Lilly's boyfriend, and it's all her fault. She was the one pushing the two of them together in the first place. She means, let's face it, Lilly is great, beautiful and charming and funny. She's so cute and feminine, always dressed in the most sensual and sophisticated way, always looking enticingly around her, making men follow her wherever she goes. Hell, she knows perfectly well how it is when they're going out together. Lilly gets all the attention, the free drinks, the phone numbers. She's always the queen of the party, the one people are trying to talk to. The one men are trying to talk to. They want to talk to her so much, they even make a move on Kono, just to get near her sometimes. It's no wonder that Steve had one look at her gorgeous body, and her sensual red lips and fell for her immediately. It would have been stupid to expect anything else.
She breathes in deeply, trying to resist the strong urge she has to cry, whenever she thinks about them together. She should be happy, really. At least Lilly is a wonderful, kindhearted and decent girl. She will never hurt him the way Catherine did. She'll be gentle with him, will realize his specific… vulnerabilities… Right? She looks at him again, with concern. She really does hope so. He looks strong and arrogant and self assured on the outside, but she knows him well enough. She knows how hard it is for him to get to trust people, and to connect in a more personal level. She'll help him with the present, she decides then and there. After all, this is not about her, it's about him. She'll help him find the best present for Lilly, and help him out when he tries to preserve their relationship. He went through enough. She'll make sure he'll be as happy as possible this time around.
"So, do you have something in mind?" she asks when they walk around in the mall and he looks suspiciously at the different stores.
"Mmmm…" he looks at her unsurely "maybe…" he looks at her worriedly "no, actually I have no idea" he admits.
"That's okay" she tries to smile reassuringly at him "think about other presents you bought your girlfriends in the past." He only looks at her with a blank expression. "Right…" she mumbles to herself, how stupid of her to assume "did you ever buy something for Catherine?" she asks encouragingly "you've been dating for a long time, maybe something you bought her for her birthday, or for some graduation…"
"I bought her a knife once" he says finally "an assault knife, with an ivory handle and a unique blade that you can thread a rope in it for a better…" he stops when she looks at him disapprovingly "I guess a knife is out of the question, then."
"Don't get me wrong here" she tries to make him feel a little bit better "it's actually a great gift. I personally would be thrilled to get a knife like that, but… I'm not sure Lilly will have the… opportunity to use it in the bank she works at." He doesn't look too convinced, secretly she thinks he truly believes every woman can find a use for a good knife "for god's sakes Steve, just imagine what will happen if she'd step into the central bank of Hawaii carrying a knife in her bag, they'll arrest her on the spot."
"Fair enough" he grumbles and they continue to roam the mall in silence.
"Try to think about something she likes" she tries to direct him again "her hobbies, her interests. Did she happen to mention something she wanted?"
He only shrugs, how the hell is he supposed to know a thing like that. This entire scenario is so ridiculous, she has no idea. "Look Kono" he stops and grabs her arm gently "there's something I need to tell you…"
"You can buy her something for the kitchen" she says, looking at a nice looking cook wear store "after all, it's your specialty. Can you maybe think about something she needs? Something that she's missing in her kitchen?"
"I wasn't actually in her kitchen" he tells her hesitatingly "actually I was only in her…"
"That's fine" she stops him, already blushing despite of herself "I don't need to know about that, actually. But in this case, maybe you should buy her some lingerie…" she offers half heartedly.
"I don't think so" he says decisively, making her relax a little. She knows perfectly well, if he'd said yes she wouldn't be able to go through with it.
They continue their exploration for an hour more, getting more frustrated by the minute.
"Why can't I just bring her flowers and be done with it?" he sighs after he suggests a gift certificate in one of the bookstores and gets a strong and quite incredulous refusal.
"I have no idea" she tells him, shaking her head. "Flowers sound like a perfect solution." He looks at her expectantly "only it will be against Danny's specific instructions" she reminds him "would you like to try it and see what he does?"
"No" he says hurriedly "no way. No flowers, got it." He had enough of Danny's interference in the matter as it is.
"Jewelry."
"Jewelry?"
"Why not?"
"Why yes?"
"It's romantic, it's feminine, and it gives the right message."
"What message?" he looks at her curiously.
"That you really care about her, that she is important to you, that you took the time and the effort and went to a specific shop, and picked something just for her, that you thought she might like."
"I am? I mean, I did?"
"Sure" she says a little unconvincingly "I'm sure you can pick something up…"
"I find it hard to believe even for a single moment" he tells her honestly.
They walk around in the store, looking carefully at the glass tables. There are lots of jewelries there. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings. He looks at the entire collection with what suspiciously feels like anxiety. If Kono thinks he can do anything with the random collection in front of him she's no less than delusional.
"So" she comes to stand beside him "what do you think?"
"I don't know what to think" he mumbles in trepidation.
"It's not that complicated" she starts to get impatient with his lack of commitment to their assignment. It doesn't suppose to be so hard, if you ask her. He should just make up his mind and let them both end this awkward shopping spree. When he sends his hand and touches the most objectionable hair pin she had ever seen in her life, she realizes she'd have to be much more active than this.
"Let's start from the beginning" she says, after taking a big calming breath "think about the kind of jewelries you saw her wear." He only looks at her blankly. She thinks he's overplaying his part, but he honestly has no idea what she's talking about.
"Okay" she tries not to scream "what about a bracelet?" she moves him close to the bracelets collection.
"A bracelet?" he frowns "to put on her wrist?"
"That's usually how you handle bracelets, yes" she says patiently. A major improvement in his ability to tackle this issue, no doubt.
"It doesn't sound like a good thing to have" he tells her seriously "I mean, it might compromise her maneuverability. It might get caught in something, prevent her from moving quickly when she has to…" he stops when he sees Kono's questioning look.
"She's not a field operator" she reminds him "you do realize she works in an office, right?"
"Still" he is quite decisive about it "I'm against bracelets. It's not mission oriented."
"Fine" she sighs "no bracelets, then. What about a couple of earrings?"
"You don't wear earrings" he tells her, looking carefully at her ears. For some unknown reason his penetrating look is lingering on her skin for a longer time than is needed. She can see it travels along her neck slowly, and the way it goes on to her collar bone.
"Ehhemmm" she coughs slightly, trying to regain his attention "I actually do wear earrings sometimes" she muses "usually when I go out, after work. Earrings are nice, and Lilly has her ears pierced so…"
"What about a ring?" he asks her, trying to be more helpful.
"No, no, lover boy" she pulls him away from the rings collection "not in this early age of the relationship. You might send the wrong message." He looks at her, interested "I'm pretty sure you send her enough wrong messages as it is" she shakes her head in disdain.
"A necklace is good" she tells him when they reach the appropriate section in the store "it's neutral, it's useful. She'll love it, trust me."
He looks at her, hardly impressed "I love necklaces, it's the only kind of jewelry I wear on a daily basis." She tries to strengthen her case. This statement actually makes him perk up a little bit. He looks carefully at the large collection before him, assessing each necklace for a long while until he finds a specific delicate one he likes, and points it out to her. It has a thin, fine silver chain and a small round cut diamond pendant. When she looks more closely she can see that the diamond is embedded in the most precious delicate silver bed, which is shaped like a tiny flower.
"This is amazing" she tells him, obviously impressed "I love it, I would definitely wear it. If we were shopping for me, that would have been the one I picked." She is so preoccupied with the necklace, that probably makes the most beautiful example of her taste in the entire jewelry store, she misses the glinting eyes he lays on her, and the shy smile he has on his face when she says it.
She tries to shake her amazement quickly, and turns to look at him as steadily as she can. Lilly would love it too, she knows she would.
"I think Lilly usually wears a much… stronger necklaces" she says, blushing a little, knowing this is only partly true "she likes necklaces with more presence. With colorful stones, with gold…" she looks around her frantically, until she sees an example "like this one" she shows him a beautiful gold chain with three turquoise stones.
He looks at the gold necklace, scratching his head "good" he says with finality "then we'll take this one."
He's looking for the store manager, and signaling him to come to help them when she changes her mind. She holds his arm gently, when the store manager is already in the process of wrapping the gold chain, and stops him.
"Your choice is better" she tells him, trying not to let the distinct pain she feels inside her slip into her words "you should go with what you chose first, Lilly would love it, and it would be your own personal choice, so it would make it a much better gift."
He looks at her silently, searching for something in her eyes, and suddenly she has the feeling that he knows exactly how painful it is for her to let him buy her favorite necklace for someone else.
"You sure?" he asks gently.
"Yeah" she nods, exhaling the air she wasn't aware she was holding "much better, trust me."
He buys the beautiful, delicate, magical necklace and pays for it while she stands there, watching him carefully. Then they leave.
He offers to buy her dinner, maybe a beer in one of the bars on their way, but she refuses, asks him to drive her home, which he does, in silence. When he drops her off at her home, she slams the door behind her, and takes off her shoes. Then she goes to the beach and surfs her anger, self pity and disappointment away, until it's too dark to see anything.
"Steve bought me a beautiful present" Lilly tells her enthusiastically when she calls her on Saturday to say happy birthday.
"He did?" she tries to sound enthusiastic, too.
"Yes" Lilly boasts, he has such an impeccable taste "I mean, who would have thought, seeing him, that he actually has this kind of skill set?"
"Amazing" she grumbles "simply hard to believe."
"And… We are going to dinner tonight in the Azure" Lilly is oblivious to her cousin's heartache "he gave me the necklace last night, when he came over. He said he couldn't wait even one more day to see my reaction."
"This is charming" Kono notifies her dryly.
"It is!" Lilly agrees, laughing on the other side of the line "it is, and he is charming too. The way he was so attentive, and thoughtful… I think he's falling in love with me."
"He is?" the coffee cup she is holding is crashing on the floor sending brown liquid all over her living room.
"He is" Lilly sighs dreamily "I can feel it, and this is all thanks to you…"